Connect:

The Truth About Paperless

As the green movement has taken hold across the country, many companies have devoted considerable resources to the “go paperless” idea to conserve our natural resources. While the concept is noble in theory, it is not necessarily altruistic, nor is it entirely accurate. Paper is actually a renewable and sustainable natural resource, because it is a farmed product, as noted in this recent article about the Two Sides Campaign:

Print on paper originates from a renewable resource—trees grown in responsibly managed North American forests, is recyclable, and is the most recycled commodity with recovery rates of 63 percent or higher (American Forest & Paper Association, 2014).

In North America, we grow more trees than we harvest. Over the last six decades, total net U.S. forest area has increased by over 3 percent and the net volume of trees on timberland has increased by 58 percent (U.S. Forest Service, 2012). In Canada, the forest cover has remained stable over the last two decades and harvest has been 44 percent of annual growth (Conference Board of Canada, 2014).

The environmental and social impacts of switching from paper to e-media are not properly or adequately considered – and they are far from negligible. The trade‐off between the two platforms depends on conditions such as use frequency, source of energy, and end‐of‐life management of the products (P. Arnfalk, 2010).

Read more here — you might find this refreshing perspective both surprising and educational!

At Jag, we want to be part of the solution (rather than the problem), so we take this issue very seriously. Please feel to contact us if you would like more information about it.